One Wrong Turn (Loki Fan Fiction)
by VillainousLadyLoki
Summary: Sometimes things are better off being kept as secrets. Rebecca is confused as to why no one else is interested in all the unusual activity happening around the world, but when she discovers a lost ring, her world is changed forever. Set around the events of 'The Avengers', Rebecca is dragged into a dangerous world, controlled by the God of Mischief himself. Book 1 in the series.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

* * *

Rebecca hated her job. She'd dreamed of working in New York, but yet she was still stuck in the same place. Several years ago, she thought that becoming a writer would be the best move for her. Big mistake. Considering she lived in the small town of Indian Springs, next to Death Valley, nothing ever really happened worth documenting, or not that she noticed anyway. It was just the same old news, nothing exciting like what happens in the rest of the world. Everyday she would search the internet, finding stories about alien invasions, meteorites crashing to earth, unexplained sightings of unusual military technology, and dreamt of something happening closer to home for her to see with her own eyes. Most of this research she shared with her classmates during collage earned her the nickname 'Freak' or 'Liar', much to her surprise. She couldn't understand it. It was as if everyone else was blind to what was happening in the world around them.

Rebecca left collage before completing her studies, after becoming overwhelmed by the amount of hatred she received off her peers for 'making up wild stories that weren't true'. Her parents weren't impressed, and after many nights of endless arguments about her education, they gave in, and suggested she go and work with her uncle until she could get herself a job. Rebecca loved Uncle Ian, as he was the only person who understood her. He was the local mechanic, running a small workshop just on the outskirts of town. She enjoyed helping him, fetching him coffee, chatting about possible alien invasions and tidying up around the place. Anything was better than being back at collage.

One day, during the summer, her Uncle received a phone call from the other end of town, enquiring whether he knew about this damaged, abandoned, black vehicle that had just been dumped at the side of the road. He didn't, but offered to come and tow it away seeing as it sounded like nobody wanted it. It was nearly the end of the day, but Rebecca didn't mind going out with him in his pick-up for one more trip. Several minutes later, she jumped down from the truck, her brown hair blowing out behind her. She hugged herself, cursing. The wind was a bit chilly; she wished she'd picked up her jacket. Following her uncle, they walked over to the vehicle that had been ditched. Rebecca gasped once she got a better look at it. It was covered in bullet holes. Whilst her uncle went straight to the front of the vehicle to inspect the engine, Rebecca circled round to the back, running her fingers along the scratch lines on the body. She kept thinking to herself, this is unreal. It's like this car has just been dropped straight out of an action movie. Shaking her head in disbelief, she was about to walk away when a glint of gold caught her eye. Peering down into the tailgate, she could see a gold ring. Checking over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching, she edged closer to get a better look. Carefully sliding her hand in-between the ripped metal, she pulled it out. It was a small gold ring, etched with strange symbols. She giggled to herself. It reminded her of the ring from Lord of the Rings, only this one didn't glow. Smiling to herself, and checking to see that her uncle wasn't watching, she slipped it into her trainer for safe keeping.

"Well", her uncle asked from round the front of the car, his head buried under the bonnet, "What do you make of this one?". "It certainly is a mess, isn't it", she said, walking round to him, folding her arms. "It's like something out of one of those car chases in the movies, only without an angry driver still inside", she said, looking at the bullet holes in the windscreen. "Any idea who it might belong to?", she asked. "Yep, some company called SHIELD. See", he said, emerging from the bonnet and pointing to the massive eagle-like logo printed on top of it. "Oh", Rebecca said puzzled. "I've never heard of them before. Do you think there something to do with that Area 51 stuff over on that base", indicating off into the distance. "Possibly. Who knows, we never get told anything. They like to keep us in the dark, don't they, about all the aliens", he chuckled, nudging her on the shoulder. "Yeah, true", she sighed, looking up at the sky as it started to get dark. "Well, it's getting late. I best be heading back home. Can't have my parents thinking I've been abducted by aliens or anything", she giggled, kissing Uncle Ian on the cheek. "Okay then. Well, same time tomorrow, and don't wear that dress again. It's the same bloody green as the Lola. Don't want you blending in", he chuckled to her, waving as she walked off up the street. "I won't", she shouted over her shoulder.

It was starting to get dark, as some of the street lights started to come on as she walked up along the road. She looked up at the houses as she passed by, all tightly squeezed together, some with little alleyways between them leading off down the back streets. She thought to herself, about the car, wondering how it ended up there, and who this SHIELD company was. They must be something to do with all the military stuff happening over at Area 51 a couple of miles away. Their vehicles are always passing through the town in a hurry. Maybe it was an alien that stole the car. She chuckled to herself, realising what a silly idea it was. Bringing herself back to the real world, she looked up at the road ahead and stopped. She spun around, looking at the houses. They were much more run down around here, some with broken windows. She realised she must have taken a wrong turn, so started to head back the way she came. It was then that she realised she had a shadow, following her. She could hear another set of footsteps, following close behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed a tall, hooded figure, walking several feet behind her. Tensing up, she quickened her pace slightly, hoping to get a bit more distance between them. She heard the figure also increase their pace, now matching her speed, staying close behind. Panicking, she broke into a run. Running blindly, she turned sharply down a side ally, hoping to get away from the advancing figure now chasing her.

She froze in her tracks. Ahead of her was a dead end, with no way out. The walls either side were too high for her to even climb and the one ahead of her was topped with barb-wire, making it impossible to scramble over. Whipping around, she ran back up the ally, only to find her path blocked, by the figure, standing in the middle of the entrance. Before she even had time to think, another two hooded figures appeared from either side, making escape even more impossible. Frightened, Rebecca started to back up slowly, frantically looking from right to left, seeking desperately any means of escape. Every step she took back, the three hooded figures took forward. Her heart thumbed frantically in her chest, her mind racing, fear gripped her insides. Before she knew it, she was backed up against the wall, with no more room to run. Now terrified, her breath coming in sharp intakes, the three figures advanced. Rebecca, fearing the worst, screwed up her eyes, pushed herself as far into the wall as possible, and with what little breath she had left, screamed.

But nothing happened. Breathing frantically, she opened her eyes, expecting to see the three figures directly in front of her. But they weren't. She blinked, and gasped, slightly shocked by what she saw. A few feet in front of her were the three figures, lying on the floor, dead. One of them, their face visible from under their hood was looking in her direction, his dark eyes wide with shock; lay cold and still, with a trickle of blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth. Confused and stunned, she dragged her eyes away from the bodies and looked up, straight onto a new shadow. Standing over the dead bodies, stood a tall, intimidating figure with his back to her. Her eyes widened as she noticed the glinted blade in his outstretched arm, dripping fresh blood onto the ally floor. Gasping aloud in horror, the figure swiftly turned to look at her, its dark clothing sweeping around until she was face to face with it. With the darkness that now filled the alleyway, she couldn't make out his face clearly. All she could see was the piercing green eyes, the glinting of the blade and the wicked evil smile, before everything turned to black.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

* * *

Rebecca knew she was still in the alleyway. She could smell it, and feel the harsh, dirty ground pressed against her cheek. Groaning, she opened her eyes weakly, trying to see through the blurriness. Disorientated, she tried to stand up, but immediately felt her legs give way underneath her. A pair of strong arms reached out and grabbed her, lifting her back up before pushing her against the wall behind her. Pinned by her shoulders, catching her breath, her vision gradually cleared. She found herself looking face to face with a young man, with deep, unsettling blue eyes. He stared at her blankly, holding her firm, his nose centimetres from hers. Confused, she looked around, and noticed another figure standing further off in the shadows, his back turned to them. They seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. Puzzled, she took an intake of breath, preparing to ask them what was going on; but her eye line dropped, right down onto a body. Her mind cleared; everything came flooding back. The people that followed her, the man that saved her …

Fear overwhelmed her, and she tried to scream. The person holding her must have sensed this, as they quickly adjusted their hold, one arm pinned against her chest, the other snapping over her mouth, muffling her panicked cries. "Shut your screaming. No one is coming", he said to her, gripping her mouth tighter. "Now, if you stop screaming, I'll take my hand away to allow you to speak. If you scream out again however, I will silence you for good. Understand?". Rebecca nodded, and immediately rendered herself mute, fearing for her life. Seeming satisfied, he pulled his hand away, but kept his arm on her, keeping her restrained against the wall.

"You have taken something, child. What have you done with it?", a harsh, cold voice asked from the shadows. Rebecca nearly screamed out again in shock. She'd forgotten the other figure was standing there. "What? I don't understand, who are you?", she asked them, glancing from one figure to another. "I'm Clint Barton, I work for SHIELD as one of their agents. We followed you …". "Enough", the other voice commanded, "Pathetic mortals. I have to do everything myself". He stepped out from the shadows, his green eyes fixated upon Rebecca, filled with annoyance. She noticed his attire was different to Barton's, covered in black and green material with glints of gold. He stepped up closer to her, bringing his ghostly pale face next to hers, and whispered into her ear, "You will do as you are told, child. Otherwise you will find yourself in the same state as the other SHIELD agents that followed you down here in the first place".

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she nodded, agreeing to do whatever he asked. He pulled away, and turned as if he was ready to leave. Suddenly he span round, bringing his hand across her face with such force, her head smashed sideways into the wall. Off balanced and startled, she cried out in surprise and pain, her eyes welling up in tears, as Barton's grip held her firm. The other mans hand was then against her throat, his dagger held against it. She could feel its cold, sharp edge, digging into her flesh, drawing blood. Bringing his pale face close to her again, he sneered into her ear "I am Loki of Asgard, and I will have what is mine. You have one last chance. Where is my ring?". Rebecca's mind, filled with confusion and disorientation, refused to think. She couldn't remember. Chocked up, she weakly replied, "I … I don't know. I can't remember", breaking down in tears, fearing her life was over. "Well then, we will have to do something about that", Loki said slyly, pulling the dagger away from her, fixing her with his wicked stare; a devious grin crept across his lips.

He snapped around, walking off as a black van pulled up at the top of the alleyway. "Bring her with us", he ordered over his shoulder, pocketing his dagger. Rebecca then felt herself being grabbed and thrown over Hawkeye's shoulder, as he carried her off. She screamed and thrashed around, hitting him hard on his back to be put down. They reached the top of the alley, and the van door slid open. Loki climbed inside, and turned around and grabbed hold of Rebecca as she continued to thrash around in a blind panic. She felt his large, cold hands close around her neck, choking her as they pulled her inside. She tried to grab hold of him to loosen his grip but he held firm as she sank to the floor. As Hawkeye jumped into the back of the van and closed the door shut, she felt herself slipping into darkness. Loki leaned down and quietly whispered in her ear, "Let it take you. Just let go". Loosing sense of all conscience of her surroundings, she let go and slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

Rebecca's head lolled back and forth, her mind feeling like mush as she sensed herself being carried in someone's arms through the darkened corridor. Her eyes, unable to stay open, struggled to focus on her surroundings as they passed her. Darkened corridors, locked doors, glowing pieces of machinery, people in white coats all passed her as she slipped in and out of consciousness. Her breath came in short gasps, her body aching, feeling like it'd been dragged over broken glass. The last thing she remembered was watching darkness fill all around her, hearing a devilish voice inside her ear, dragging her down into this helpless state. She briefly remembered travelling in the back of a vehicle, hearing hushed tones whispering, but whenever she regained consciousness, that voice would be back again, whispering into her ear, virtually draining the breath from her.

Curious to see who was carrying her, she tried to lift herself up, focusing her eyes on the blurry form holding her. She could make out his young features, his short hair, and his unblinking blue eyes, fixed straight ahead. It was Barton who was carrying her then, she thought. But where was Loki? Blinded by a sudden blue flash, she turned to look ahead in the direction of the light. Then she saw him, several paces ahead, standing beside a brightly glowing blue cube, speaking in a concerned tone with the scientists stood around him, all with the same blue eyes. One of them, older looking in a scruffy shirt, looked over at me as we approached. "Why have you brought her here?", he asked blankly at Barton. "She will only get in the way. Get rid of her". "No!", Loki snapped at him, his eyes bursting with rage. Glaring at him, he spoke coolly, "She stays here. Now, get on with your work Selvig before I get rid of you".

Loki turned away from them, and walked towards Hawkeye, looking down and placing his cold hand down onto Rebecca's forehead. She moaned, her eyes closing again, her body starting to shake a little with cold. He frowned, his eyes filled with concern. "It seems you went a bit too far sir. She seems to be taking to it quite badly", he said. "Do you want me to pass her onto one of the medics to look after her?". "No", Loki answered, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I'll see to her. Pass her to me. Go and secure the entrance". Hawkeye handed her over to him, before turning and leaving with some SHIELD agents that had been walking either side of him. Cradling her against his chest, he carried her over to the side of the large underground bunker where they were hiding, and gently placed her down in the corner. "Where am I?", she asked weakly, opening her eyes and looking into his, her face mixed with confusion and pain. "Somewhere no one will find us", he replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Stay here, and don't ask questions. I will deal with you later". With that, he stood up and left her, walking back over to the scientists dressed in white coats.

She tried to call out after him but didn't have the energy to. She slumped back against the wall and looked around her. Whatever that strange blue thing was, it needed an awful lot of machinery. The walls of the place were lined with strange machines, pipelines and computers, all throwing off different noises and flashing signals at the scientists that attended on them. Her head throbbed, and she felt very cold. From here in the corner she could see Loki pacing around the cube in the centre of the room, as scientists worked around him. She noticed something different about him now; his eyes were a mixed blue/green colour, not the strong vivid coloured green they were before. She was puzzled, so steadily got to her feet, and edged closer. She leaned against the tall machine that stood next to her, trying to see more clearly what the scientists we all working on. The glowing blue cube looked like it was pure electricity, occasionally sending out little waves of power. It was almost hypnotic, looking at it. She could feel as if it was drawing her in, making her want to reach out and touch it.

A hand grabbed Rebecca's hair from behind, pulling her backwards, spinning her around so her head hit the wall. She immediately fell to the floor and cried out in pain, clutching at her head. The hand then grabbed at her hair again, pulling up her face. She cried out in terror as she felt herself being lifted up again. Through her tear-filled eyes she looked at her attacker. It was Barton. Panicking, she kicked out at him with all her strength, crying out for him to let go, but all this gained her was an emotionless stare. She frantically looked around, hoping someone would come to her aid, but they were all busily engaged in their work, not aware of someone being attacked meters away from them. "What are you doing spying on our work?", he asked challengingly. Rebecca didn't know what to say, she was too scared to reply. "I'm not spying", she spluttered. "I'm sorry, I just …". Before she could finish her sentence, Barton had brought his fist down across her face, dropping her to the ground. She screamed out in agony, frantically trying to get away from him, crawling away. He reached down again, this time grabbing her round the throat, bringing her up to standing. She clawed at his arm, begging him through chocked breath to let her go. He brought up his fist again, ready to strike down at her.

"Stop!", Loki screamed at Barton, rushing up behind him. Everyone else around also stopped what they were doing, and turned to look. "Put her down now!", he commanded, his eyes green filled with rage. Barton dropped her immediately, and she fell down onto the concrete floor, gulping in air, crying. "I told you to secure the entrance", Loki roared at Barton, standing face to face with him, his nostrils flaring. "Sorry sir, but she was spying on our work", he answered plainly. "I don't care. She is mortal. She cannot threaten our plan. Now get back to work, all of you", Loki commanded. Like puppets on strings, the scientists immediately withdrew and continued with their work. Barton glanced down at the quivering Rebecca, before he too withdrew, walking off and out of sight. Checking he wasn't being watched, Loki swiftly dropped down onto his knees beside Rebecca. "Are you alright?", Loki asked, gently putting an arm around her, helping her to sit up. "No", she whispered weakly between sobs, collapsing into his chest, her body shaking. "I'm so sorry about what happened then. I had no control over him", he said quietly, looking down at her. "He won't do it again. I swear".

She looked up at him; her eyes filled with tears, she pleaded, "I don't believe you. Please, just let me go. I'm no threat you said that yourself". Loki couldn't help but feel sorry for her. After all, she didn't know what their plan was, but she still had his ring, and he wasn't prepared to let it fall into the wrong hands. Leaning closer to her, speaking in a soft hushed tone, he said in her ear, "There are two items of great value and power in this room. One is my Tesseract", indicating towards the glowing blue cube, "The other in your possession". He looked down at her sternly, "Do you understand?", he asked. "Yes", she answered weakly, nodding slowly, trying to rack her brain to try and remember where she had put his ring. "I'm sorry, but I can't think, I don't know …". She tailed off, looking pleadingly into his eyes, her eyes filling with fresh tears. "The power of the Tesseract will allow me to have an army. Your world will kneel before me, with me as your king. There is no one who can stop me, and no one coming to save you", he said darkly to her, wiping away the small trickle of blood from under her nose. "Please, help me", she pleaded. Loki didn't answer, getting up from beside her, turning to leave. "Please", she begged at him, causing him to look back down at her. She could see the torn conflict in his eyes, thoughts flickering across his mind. "Not yet", he whispered softly to her, turning back and walking off. "Guard her", she heard him shout walking off towards two SHIELD agents, who came and stood near to her, essentially trapping her in the corner. Overwhelmed in pain, fear and tiredness, she collapsed into an unsettled sleep


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

* * *

Rebecca woke up cold and shivering, her head throbbing in pain. She thought she must have been having some horrible nightmare, wishing it would end. Only when she opened her eyes and looked around, she realised she was still living in it. Pushing herself up off the concrete floor, she slumped back against the wall, wincing, looking around her, confused. There was no one around; none of the scientists working around the cube, not even the two agents that were suppose to be watching her. It was eerily quiet, too quiet, with only the occasional hum and spark noise coming from the cube. She could see it there, left unattended, and couldn't help but feel an urge to reach out and touch it. Carefully, she lifted herself up, and looking around, stepped further into the room. Constantly looking over her shoulder, making sure she wasn't going to get jumped from behind or shouted at, she edged closer towards the cube. She approached the Tesseract, being drawn into it, watching its electric-blue light dance around inside it, as if it were alive, and trapped like her. Without even being aware of what she was doing, completely transfixed, she reached out a hand to touch it.

She stopped, hearing a noise coming from one of the corridors leading off. Quickly spinning round, she rushed into hiding. Breathing heavily, keeping to the shadows along one of the walls, she edged closer to the corridor entrance. Taking a deep breath, she peeked around the corner down into the corridor. She could see Loki leaning against the wall in the corridor, hunched over, his head buried in his hands. She could hear him muttering quietly under his breath, his body heaving up and down as if he'd run for miles. She was about to sneak back away when she saw it and gasped. A single, solitary tear fell down his pale cheek, his fists clenching, his body heaving in emotion as he tried to contain it. She took a step forward, but too noisily. Hearing it, Loki's eyes immediately shot up, straight at Rebecca, his face a mixture of conflicting emotions. "I'm sorry", she said quickly, stepping out into view. "I didn't mean to startle you". He didn't answer, dropping his eyes to the ground. "Are you ok?" she asked him, taking a step closer, seeing his features more clearly in the dim light of the corridor. "I'm fine", he replied firmly. He stood up and tried to walk off but clutched at his side, and fell back against the wall, breathing heavily, wincing. She rushed to him, "Loki…". "I'm fine", he said more sternly. "No your not", she whispered to him, her eyes filled with both fear and concern. "Please, let me help you", she asked, stretching out her hand to comfort him. "No, you won't understand", he said painfully, pushing her hand away as he walked past her in the direction of the Tesseract. "Try me!", she said challenging.

Loki stopped in his tracks and turned around, looking at her. "How would you know how it feels, to know that everything you had lived for had been a lie? That the people you call family don't even care about you, for them to betray you and lie to you, to make you feel worthless and used. To discover that you are more the monster they warn their kids about at night that the worthy son who would be heir to the throne. Now do you understand". Every word was like a dagger in his heart; his eyes filled with pain, his body filled with rage and anger, until he couldn't bear to look at her any more and turned away. "I have no choice. I … he found me. Lost and broken in the dark. He gave me purpose; A job to do". Loki turned to look at her, his face serious, his eyes turning blue. "This world will be mine. The universe will be his. I cannot fail". Rebecca didn't know what to say, as she started to tremble, terrified at what might happen if she said the wrong thing now.

Suddenly, from around the corner appeared a scruffily dressed scientist, his blue eyes wild. "Sir, the Tesseract", he said rushed, quickly motioning for Loki to follow him. "One moment Selvig", he said hastily, keeping his eyes fixed on Rebecca. She swallowed hard, trying to calm her breathing, fearing that Loki might strike out at her at any second. Seeming satisfied that she wasn't doing anything, he turned around and walked up the corridor a few paces to talk with Dr Selvig. Rebecca let out a huge sigh of relief, glad that she wasn't going to be struck down again. She couldn't help but think about what he had said, and feel slightly sorry for him. She knew about not being liked by anyone because she had had that growing up, but being told he was a monster? She shook her head. It was then that she had a realisation. Looking down the corridor back toward the cube, Loki and the Dr were in deep conversation, apparently oblivious to her existence behind them. Her heart started racing, and she slowly started to back away, keeping her eyes fixed on them all the time. One step after another, she edged away from them until she was a good few feet away. Taking a deep breath, she spun on the spot, turned and ran the other way.

Having no idea where she was running, Rebecca kept turning down corridor after corridor, praying she didn't meet anyone, occasionally trying doors as she went, finding them locked. Cursing, she kept running trying to find an exit, glancing back over her shoulder checking to see if she was being followed. She ran blindly round a corner, where she collided with a very tall object. Winded, she fell backwards onto the ground. Cursing herself for not being more careful, she looked up, straight onto the figure of a SHEILD agent. She gasped in horror as he turned around, looking down at her, his blue eyes staring blankly at her. She immediately scrambled to her feet and set off running down the corridor, the agent in pursuit, hot on her heels. Faster and faster she tried to run, her breath coming in painful gasps. Rebecca dared herself to quickly look back to see if he was still on her tail. As she did so, a figure stepped out of the shadows in front of her, and stuck their leg out. She ran straight into it, and tripped, crashing down onto the hard concrete floor.

Dazed and winded, she tried to scramble to her feet to get away, but a strong pair of arms grabbed hold of her from behind, lifting her off the floor to her feet. She screamed and kicked out at the advancing agent as he grabbed hold of her arms and drew them painfully behind her back, tying them together to make her escape more impossible. The person who had grabbed her from behind now came round the front of her, and she could see it was Barton. "Please", she pleaded at him, struggling against her captors, her eyes filling with tears. "Please let me go". He looked back at her blankly, then looked at the agent behind holding her, and then nodded to them. Rebecca sighed in relief, thinking she was now going to be freed, as the guard behind her let go of his hold on her. Barton then swiftly bent down and grabbed hold of her, swinging her up onto his shoulder. Taken by surprise, Rebecca kicked and screamed as hard as she could, but with her hands tied behind her, she was helpless. She continued trying to fight against Barton as he continued to walk, carrying her down corridor after corridor.

Eventually he stopped in front of a heavy metal door which had been left ajar. With Rebecca still kicking and screaming on his shoulder, he opened the door to reveal a small, windowless concrete-lined room. He walked inside and dropped her to the ground. She screamed out in pain. "Please, please just let me go", she pleaded at him, trying to get up on her feet, her face tear-stained. Grabbing her round the throat, he forced her back down onto the floor, until she was kneeling. "No. You must stay here", he answered plainly, as Rebecca gasped for breath, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Barton released his grip, and she sank to the floor, panting for breath, crying. She watched him leave, and was surrounded by darkness as the door slammed shut, and the lock bolted, leaving her trapped and alone.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Rebecca didn't know how long she had been inside that dark room; it seemed like eternity. There was only a thin crack of light from underneath the door, but even when she lay down on the floor to try and look out under it, she couldn't see anything. She had been kicking and screaming at the door for ages but still it wouldn't budge. No body came, no matter how loudly she cried for help. She tried to get her hands free in the hope they would help her escape, but the thin wire holding them tied behind her dug into her wrists and hurt her, drawing blood, so she stopped struggling. Exhausted, she slumped down against the wall. Trapped in the room, her mind thought about her parents back home, and whether they would be worried about her, or even notice she had gone. She felt sorry for her poor uncle, as he was the last person to see her alive. She tried fighting back her emotions, realising she hadn't even said goodbye to them, or told them how much she loved them.

She tried to think back to how she ended up here in the first place, hoping it might give her an answer, but still it hurt her head to think about it, so she stopped. Sighing, she thought back to what Loki had said when he brought her here, and what he'd said when she asked him to set her free. He'd said "Not yet". She frowned, thinking. What did he mean by that? Was it because she had not given him an answer, or was there something else going on. There must be, she thought, otherwise it wouldn't explain how upset and in pain he was before when she saw him, saying that he couldn't afford to fail at his job. Was he a prisoner, just like her, she thought. Her mind raced; she thought that it might be Barton who was controlling him, but thinking back on it, he did follow Loki's orders, just like everyone else with the blue eyes. Loki was different to them, as his eyes changed. Perhaps he was trying to fight whatever this blue thing was, possibly being controlled by this other person who he was so scared of?

Rebecca was snapped out of her thoughts by the loud clanking and unbolting of the door. Scared it was Barton returning; she pressed herself up against the wall where she sat, holding her breath. The door swung open, and she was temporarily blinded as a figure walked in and stood in front of her. Quickly her eyes adjusted to the light, and she looked up, straight into the green eyes of Loki, letting out a huge sigh of relief. "Why did you run?", he asked seriously, a look of disappointment on his face. "I'm sorry", she replied weakly, looking down at the floor. "I don't want to stay here any longer. Please, let me go. I want to go back home". A small tear trickled down her cold cheek. He kneeled down beside her, reached out his hand, and gently lifted up her chin, wiping away the tear. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I can't", he said sadly, looking into her eyes, feeling her pain. Looking down at her, he could see her face a mixture of sweat, tears and blood, her brown hair messed up and loose at her shoulders. Her once lovely green dress was dirty, torn, and speckled in her blood, with her legs grazed and bruised; her trainers where also dirty and speckled in blood.

"Your hands", he said shocked, seeing how tightly the wire had cut her in her struggling. Loki immediately pulled out his dagger and cut them free; Rebecca cried out in pain on there release. "Why did you struggle?", he asked sternly. "You could have seriously injured yourself further". Massaging her bloody wrists, she looked at him, unsure how to reply. "If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost. This is death". She paused before continuing. "It's a quote I learned at collage. I didn't understand it at the time, but now I do". Loki never took his eyes off her wrists the whole time she was speaking. She turned away, her eyes filling with tears again. "Your going to kill me, aren't you?", she spluttered. "No, not at all", he said reassuringly, putting his dagger away and resting his hand gently on her shoulder. She flinched slightly under his touch, and tried to keep her emotions under control. "Your body, it's so cold", she said, looking back at him. "I'm sorry", he said apologetically, removing his hand.

Hearing footsteps approaching up the corridor, Loki looked at Rebecca seriously and said, "I'm sorry about what is going to happen, but I need you to do exactly as I say. I don't want you to get hurt again". Rebecca, suddenly very alarmed, nodded quickly, not wanting to endure any more pain. Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out a thin piece of golden material. "Don't worry", he said soothingly, "This one won't hurt you should you struggle". He stood up, towering over her, his green eyes fixed on her. Rebecca cautiously got up onto her feet, and hesitantly offered her wrists out to him in front of her. "No, sorry. Behind you please", he said apologetically, but firmly, his eyes still fixed on her. Slowly she turned around, reluctantly placing her hands together behind her back. She flinched as his cold hands touched hers, as he gently wound the material around her hands, being careful not to hurt her. He finished and put his arms on her shoulders, turning her back around. Spinning around, she looked up to meet his eyes. "Now, do as I say and you will be ok", he said sternly, but reassuringly to her, his pale face serious. She nodded. Seeming satisfied, he turned around and stood in the doorway looking out down the corridor, blocking the exit. Rebecca tested her bonds. They held her wrists together firm, but didn't hurt her when she struggled.

Hawkeye emerged from around the corner and stopped in front of Loki, looking in through the open doorway down at Rebecca with his piercing blue eyes. "Sir, time to go. Everything's ready". "Good, then lets go", Loki said, turning back to look at Rebecca, his green eyes tinted blue. Reluctantly, she shuffled forwards towards Loki, her eyes flicking between him and Barton. "Bring her with us", he ordered at Barton, closing the door behind her before walking off up the corridor. She glanced at Barton, and tried to back up against the door away from him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, "Sorry miss, just following orders". He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark hood. Before she even had time to react, the hood had been pulled over her head, rendering her blind.

She couldn't see anything; she could only stumble in the direction Barton dragged her, daring not to speak. Rebecca tried to stop at one point, but he grabbed her arm tighter and whispered into her ear which startled her at his closeness to her. "You don't want me to carry you again, do you?". Shaking her head, she continued to be dragged along by him. They turned corner after corner after corner; Rebecca tried to keep track but soon lost count. She could hear the footsteps of others walking around her. She knew these were the scientists and the agents, as they were all walking in rhythm together, like an army. She heard the sound of a large door being unbolted ahead of her, and soon felt a cold icy wind blowing against her, feeling gravel underfoot as she walked. They were outside, but she had no idea if it was night or day as she couldn't see anything from out of the hood. She could hear the sound of a vehicle ahead of them being started, and its doors being slid open. She panicked as another pair of hands grabbed her from the other side, and together both Barton and the other person lifted her up inside the vehicle. Once inside, a familiar hand rested itself on her arm, and gently eased her down to sitting in a corner. "Loki?", she asked quietly. They didn't reply back, but instead put their hands onto her shoulders lightly, calming her. "Sleep", a soothing voice whispered into her ear, comforting her. Hearing the vehicles engine roar and the door slid shut, she did just that, letting the voice drift her away.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

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Darkness surrounded Rebecca even after she'd opened her eyes. She could hear the sound of the van's engine, and feel its cold interior wall pressed against her side, but she still couldn't work out why she couldn't see anything. Then she remembered; she was travelling in the van with Loki off to somewhere. "Loki?", she asked quietly, thinking that he was near her. No answer. She tried adjusting her position, realising her arms had gone numb behind her after not moving for however long she had been asleep. "Loki?", she asked again, this time a little louder. Still no one answered her. She started to panic, fearing that she had just been put in here on her own and was being driven somewhere to get dumped. "Loki!", she screamed panicking, frantically trying to get up. A firm hand came from beside her and clamped down on her shoulder, pushing her back down. A few seconds later, the hood she'd forgotten she had been wearing was removed, and she blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the darkened interior.

Hawkeye was kneeling down in front of her, his hand on her shoulder, the hood in his other hand, looking at her seriously with his piercing blue eyes. Looking past him, she could see other SHIELD agents and Selvig sitting down, side by side, not speaking, just staring blankly ahead of them. Up at the top of the van, beside the closing door, she could see Loki, sitting down, his eyes closed, his face even paler than usual. He looked as if he was muttering something under his breath, but it was too inaudible to make out. What caught her eye though was the mysterious golden sceptre that sat on his lap, emitting a pulsating blue glow at the tip. Transfixed, she couldn't take her eyes off it. However, her stomach let out a loud rumble which alarmed her, and brought her attention back. She didn't realise how hungry she was. It must have been a good day at least without food. "Here, eat this", Hawkeye said to her, pulling out what looked like a chocolate bar from his pocket, offering it to her. Hesitantly, she looked from it to him, unsure of whether she should take it. "Last chance", he said, offering it to her again. Knowing she might not get the chance to eat again, Rebecca gave in, and leant forward and took a bite, and with Hawkeyes help, ravenously ate it all. He also pulled out a bottle of water from behind him, which she again was undecided about accepting. "Last chance", he said again, wiggling it in front of her. Hesitantly, she nodded her head, and leant forward as he poured it for her to drink, which she gulped down greedily. Once she had finished, he put the bottle away and reached down behind her, touching her bonds on her wrists, checking they were still tight. Seeming satisfied, he got up and moved over to the other side of the van and sat back down, keeping a watch on her.

She slumped back against the wall of the van, sighing, looking at each of them in turn, trying to figure out what was doing this to them. "Where are we going?", she dared herself to ask them, perhaps not as confidentially as she would have liked. "Stuttgart", Barton replied almost immediately, blankly, not taking his eyes off her. "Why?", she asked him, shuffling to adjust her position. "To get Iridium". "Oh, right", she replied slightly confused, having no idea what that stuff was, probably something scientific she assumed. "It's all part of the plan. Unlike you", Barton said unexpectedly at her, his eyes almost likes knifes in her. She gulped, realising how much of an inconvenience she must be causing them. The only reason she was here was because of Loki, she thought. She had taken something of his, and he needs her so he can get it back. But where had she put it. Her thoughts trailed off. She glanced back at Barton, and froze. He was sat watching her, twisting a knife in his hand. "Where's the ring?", he asked forcefully. She blinked, gulping, and tried to edge backwards. Barton suddenly leapt forward, grabbing hold of her hair, pulling her head back and thrust his knife against her neck. She screamed out in terror, her breathing coming in sharp gasps. "Tell me!", he demanded, thrusting the knife deeper against her. "I… I don't know", she pleaded, trying to push herself away backwards. "I don't believe you", he said slyly, bringing his face closer to hers. She looked up at him pleadingly, shaking her head, "I'm sorry. I can't remember". He looked at her, and slowly pulled his knife away from her neck slightly. "I don't believe you". He sharply pulled her head back further, pushed the blade forcefully against her neck causing her to scream out in terror.

"Enough!", Loki commanded suddenly. Rebecca glanced over to him. He was stood, sceptre in hand, looking coolly at Hawkeye. "We're here". Hawkeye released his grip on Rebecca, pulling his knife away from her, pocketing it, before turning around and heading back to where he was sat. She breathed heavily, gulping in air, looking up at Loki in relief. He knelt down beside her, and placed his hand gently against her cheek. She flinched slightly at first, but was grateful for his cooling touch that calmed her. "Where is my ring?", he asked gently, looking at her, his blue tinted eyes looking deep into hers. "I can't remember, I…", she tailed off. Her eyes were drawn to the golden sceptre that he had slowly brought up in front of her, its sharp, pointed, glowing blue tip aimed towards her. She froze in thought, looking back at him, her eyes alive in terror. "You will tell me, when I return", he said menacingly at her, his deep blue eyes piercing into her.

The van came to a sudden halt. Loki stood up, towering over her, before turning, making his way over to the van's side door, and opened it. She could hear traffic passing by, people talking and laughing, and music playing. One by one, the agents jumped out along with Hawkeye, until there was only Loki, Selvig, an agent and Rebecca left inside the van. "What are you going to do?", she asked him, looking slightly worried. "Crash a party of course", he replied slyly, smirking at her. Without warning, the sceptre in Loki's hand started glowing, emitting a powerful golden glow all around him. Watching in awe, she watched his clothing change, from his heavily layered black leather to a slim-fitting smart black suit, his sceptre changing into a gold cane, and a green scarf hanging around his neck. "But, that's …", she said tailing off, in shock over what she just saw. He simply smiled at her, before too turning and climbed out of the van. Then she had a sudden idea; if people were around, then perhaps there was a small chance she could escape. Seizing the opportunity whilst Loki and Hawkeye were too busy in conversation, she took a big breath, and screamed for help. Both their heads immediately turned to look at her, their blue eyes full of rage. The SHIELD agent beside her swiftly grabbed hold of her, one arm wrapped around her neck, their hand clamped firmly over her mouth muffling her cries. "Pathetic", Loki snarled at Rebecca, watching her struggle, before grabbing the door and slamming it shut.

After kicking out and screaming for a few more minutes, Rebecca gave in, realising it was pointless, sighing in frustration. Even after she'd stop the SHIELD agent kept his hold tight round her neck, but removed his hand from her mouth. "Thanks", she said sarcastically to him, attempting to look round at him. She looked across, over at Selvig, and couldn't help but feel sorry for him too. Like so many of the others before, he was still sat there, staring blankly ahead, his blue eyes unfocused. Looking at his attire, she couldn't help but think that he hadn't taken a shower for a while, his clothes all scruffy, sweat visibly clung to his face. She continued to sit there in silence, listening to the noise outside; the chatter of people at this party, the gentle music playing. And then there was silence. A deadly silence.

Then the screaming started. She could hear the frightened screams of people running around outside, combined with the noise of police vehicles speeding past. Suddenly, the van was rocked by an enormous blast of an explosion, followed by the sound of a dying siren. Then, just as swiftly as it started, the screaming stopped as a powerful voice boomed above the chaos. Rebecca tried to shift her position to hear what was going on better, but she failed in vain to move, as the agent kept her pinned down. Straining her hearing, she could just make out the voice, which sent a cold shiver down her spine. "You were made to be ruled", she heard Loki proclaim to them, "In the end, you will always kneel". His voice scared her, making her wish she wasn't there at all. But then she couldn't make out what else was happening or being said, it became too difficult to hear. And then the screaming started again; she could hear the frightened people outside running past, mixed with what sounded like a fight. This was then joined by a sudden blast of music, an AC/DC track she thought, then nothing. Just silence.

Unexpectedly, the van door flew open and SHEILD agents started pouring inside, resuming their seats quickly, Hawkeye followed up the rear, clutching a bow in one hand, and a metallic cylinder in the other. "What's that?", Rebecca asked him as he set his stuff down in the corner. He didn't reply, but turned around and closed the van door behind him, before addressing the driver, "Let's go". Rebecca quickly looked at them all, their blues eyes staring back at her. "Where's Loki?", she asked a little concerned at Hawkeye as he knelt down in front of her. "Where is he? What's happening?", she asked him again, starting to get panicky as the van's engine started and started to drive off. "It's all part of the plan. Now stay still", Barton said coolly, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a needle. "No!", Rebecca screamed, now wild in panic, kicking out at him, trying to get her hands free, not wanting him to come anywhere near her with it. The agent holding her tightened his grip, and clamped his hand over her mouth again in an attempt to silence her. Hawkeye grabbed hold of her arm, and in one swift movement, plunged the needle straight into her arm, injecting her with its contents. She continued to fight with all of her strength, but soon started to lose consciousness, until it overwhelmed her, and she was consumed in the growing darkness.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

* * *

The change in air pressure inside her head was the thing that startled Rebecca, causing her to wake up. Blinking, she looked down and realised she had been strapped into a seat, the straps pulled tight across her, crushing her tied arms still stuck behind her. Breathing deeply, she looked around her, and saw the SHIELD agents where also strapped in, again their eyes were blue and unblinking. Looking around, it looked like she was inside some sort of vehicle, a very powerful one, judging by the noise of it. Breathing heavily, she continued to look around, trying to figure out where she was.

"Good. You're awake". Her eyes immediately shot in the direction of the voice. It was Hawkeye, stood leaning against what looked like a set of large doors. Had he been watching her the whole time, she thought, staring at him challengingly. "Why did you drug me? You could have killed me!", she shot at him, remembering that it was him who put her to sleep in the first place. "You weren't cooperating, plus I don't travel well with awkward passengers", he sneered at her, coming over towards her, fixing her with a piercing stare. She gulped, pushing herself further back into the seat as he approached, stopping in front of her. She glanced around, realising that Loki still wasn't there, so whatever Barton was going to do to her, he wouldn't be there to stop him this time. Now trying to calm herself down, she glanced back up at him. "So, what are you doing now? You got what you wanted back in Stuttgart. Surely your job is done now". He looked down at her, before a small smile crossed his lips. "Let's play a game shall we? You answer my questions, and I'll answer yours", he said darkly, leaning down to her. Rebecca gulped, sensing that he had darker intentions on his mind. "I told you, I don't remember", she whispered pleadingly to him, her eyes wide in fear. "We'll see about that", he said threateningly.

Hawkeye reached down, and pulled at the straps keeping her secured in her seat, freeing her. He grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her up, dragging her towards the doors near the back of the vehicle. "I don't understand; where are we? What are you doing?", she asked panicking as she stumbled along, feeling her legs give way underneath her. They reached the doors, and Hawkeye hit one of the buttons on the control panel on the wall alongside. The drop doors opened, revealing the sky, several thousand feet up. Rebecca screamed in terror as Hawkeye dragged her towards the edge. "Does this answer your question", he shouted at her, pushing her forward so she stood at the edge. "Yes! Yes", she screamed, frantically trying to back away as the wind whipped around her, but Hawkeye kept his hold firm. He spun her around, letting her face him, a terrified look in her eyes. "I'll ask you again, where is the ring?", he asked threateningly, pushing her backwards, forcing her to lean out over the edge. "I don't know! I can't remember!", she pleadingly screamed at him, her terrified eyes full of tears. "Why did you pick it up if you knew it wasn't yours?", he asked her, pushing her back even further. "I don't know. I didn't know it was his. I just found it. I didn't know!", she screamed terrified, frantically trying to push back against Hawkeye as he continued to push her towards the edge. Hawkeye smirked; his blank blue eyes fixed onto hers, as he tightened his hold on her arm and forcefully shoved her. Rebecca, taken aback, screamed in terror as she now found herself leaning alarming over the edge, her feet pressed right against the edge. "Please, stop!", she pleaded at him, her eyes filled with tears as the wind whipped around her as she frantically tried to lean back into safety. "No. Now answer the question!", he said forcefully, pushing her again, this time causing one of her feet to slip off the edge, making her cry out in terror. "Why you? What makes you so special? Why does he try to protect you? Why do you prefer him and do as he says? Tell me!", he yelled at her. Rebecca glanced down at the several thousand foot drop below her, and closed her eyes, not wanting to look anymore. With a tear running down her cheek, terrified that she was about to die, she whispered "Because I care about him".

For several seconds she stood there, precariously balanced over the edge, listening to the sound of the jet engines and wind spinning around her, fearing Hawkeye would let go of her and send her falling to her death. She was therefore surprised when she felt him pull her back inside, grabbing onto her and throwing her back towards her seat. Collapsing onto the floor in a heap, she curled herself up and cried in relief, thankful that she was still alive. After several minutes of emptying her heart out, she sniffled, and pushed herself back up; only to find Hawkeye towering over her, bow in hand. "What are you going to do?", she asked weakly. "Our target is the SHIELD helicarrier; their main base of operations. We're going to hit the Avengers right where they live", he said bluntly looking down at her, his blue eyes fixed on hers. She stared back at him, confused. "Who are the Avengers, I've never heard of them? Are they like another division of your SHIELD, like the CIA?". He smirked at her. "No. They are an elite team of people brought together to fight for the protection of this planet. They consist of various skilled people, such as Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, The Black Widow, as well as myself. Well, not anymore." Rebecca just stared back at him, dumfounded. She'd heard stories about all of them, but never believed that they actually existed. "But… they're really powerful people, you can't do that", she said shocked, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Yes, we can. There is no stopping us".

Without saying another word, Hawkeye turned and headed back towards the open cargo bay doors, and unsheathed an arrow from his quiver that he wore on his back. Sitting and watching in horror, she watched him draw back his bow and stare at the large helicarrier which emerged from the side into view. The jet they were travelling in flew back around, pulling up alongside it, flying level. Hawkeye adjusted his aim, and then released it, sending the arrow flying, it somehow curving in the wind, towards the base. Realising she had been watching opened mouthed, Rebecca promptly closed it, before asking, "Is that it? One little arrow." Hawkeye merely turned to look at her, a sly smile creeping across his face as he raised his arm so she could clearly see his bow. On it were a few small buttons, one of which his finger hovered over, before pressing it down. Suddenly, the side of the base exploded, sending bits of engine and debris plummeting down to the earth. Gobsmacked, Rebecca looked back at Hawkeye who was already arming himself, as well as all the other agents who had now gotten themselves out of their seats, with guns. The jet flew back around before landing swiftly on top of the helicarrier, and the agents start to pile themselves off the jet. Rebecca, thinking she should follow them, tried to get up, but a hand grabbed her from behind, throwing her down into one of the vacant seats. "You're not going anywhere", Barton said, fastening her down into the seat, pulling the seat straps tight around her. "Please, I've told you everything just let me- ". She was cut short in her sentence, as Barton pulled out a cloth from his pocket and swiftly tied it around her mouth, gagging her. Through her muffled cries she attempted to break free, kicking out at him from where she now sat. Fed up with her, Barton sharply slapped her across the face, causing her nose to bleed. "No one will come to save you, as they will be too busy saving themselves" he said coolly, walking away, leaving her. Through her pain-filled tears and muffled pleas, she watched Barton and the SHEILD agents stride off, and disappear out of view.

Rebecca tried desperately to try and free herself, but with her hands still pinned and tied behind her back it was pointless. No matter how loud she tried to scream to call out to someone, anyone for help, it ended up being no louder than a muffled whimper. Exhausted, she slumped back, trying to keep her head tilted up to allow her to breathe as the blood continued to flow from her nose. She knew she was in deep trouble now, and there was no possible way she could get out of it. She worried about the Avengers, and hoped that they didn't get hurt, or worse, killed. She closed her eyes, and wished that Loki was here with her, as he was the only person who seemed to have given her any comfort during her captivity. She didn't know what happened to him, or why he ended up being left behind, but she hoped that he was safe. Although she hated his evil side, his possessed nature when he was following orders; when he wasn't like that, he was actually alright. She even felt sorry for him. She knew what it was like not to be loved, for people to expect you to behave a certain way, not to be different. She'd meant what she'd said; she did care about him, strangely.

Suddenly, gunshots were being fired close by, outside the jet. Snapped out of her thoughts, Rebecca tried screaming for help again, thinking it might be someone coming to help her. The gunshots stop abruptly; the footsteps of someone approaching however get louder. Looking back towards the bay doors, she strained to see the figure approaching in the distance, and struggled to make them out through the burning smoke. Her hearts stops; It was Loki. Rebecca sighed in relief, thrilled to see he was still alive, and coming back to her. He boarded the jet, sceptre in hand, and sat down opposite her, his eyes full of rage. "Let's go", he commanded towards the pilot, and soon the doors shut, and the jet took off. She looked over at him; her eyes mixed with fear and relief. She noticed however, that his eyes where still tinted blue, staring straight ahead, so she knew not to speak to him yet. She glanced down at his sceptre, and froze in horror. Its bladed tip was dripping in blood. She must have gasped aloud, as Loki's eyes shot up at her. She watched, frozen in horror, daring not to even breathe, as his eyes lost their blueness, and returned back to their deep green colour.

"Oh my god, what did they do to you!", he said alarmed, suddenly snapping back into the real world, tossing his sceptre down and rushing over to her. Rebecca burst into tears, being so overwhelmed and thankful that he wasn't going to harm her. Loki immediately untied her gag, throwing it aside, kneeling down in front of her, gently placing both hands on her cheeks, looking up into her eyes. She looked back into his sorrowful eyes, "I'm sorry. They wanted to know where your ring was, but I couldn't remember. Then they left you behind, and they nearly killed me, and I thought that you'd been-". She chocked up, unable to finish her sentence, looking away from him. "I'm sorry", he said quietly. He reached down and released her from the seat, before gently lowering her down onto his lap, cradling her against his chest as she wept. She looked up at him, smiling weakly, "Thank you". "Stay still", he said softly to her, gently placing one hand onto her nose, the other very carefully onto the cut on her neck. She felt her body suddenly fill with coldness under his touch, but then it suddenly grew into a hot burning sensation, causing her to gasp. He immediately took his hands away. "I'm sorry. I was only healing you", he said, slightly alarmed at her reaction. Rebecca felt different; the pain she'd had before had gone. "Thank you", she said thankfully, collapsing into Loki's chest. He gently put his arm around her. "It's ok. But I promise you, no one else will hurt you again", he whispered into her ear, as she wept herself to sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

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Rebecca's eyes fluttered slowly open as she awoke, straight into the eyes of Loki. He was looking down at her, still cradling her in his arms on his lap. His face was even paler than before, his green eyes like deep pools gazing down at her, a small tear running down his cheek. "I'm sorry for what I have done to you", he said quietly to her. "No, I'm the one who is sorry", she said sympathetically, shaking her head. "You were only doing what you had been told to. It's my fault for getting involved in the first place. I should never have taken your ring." She looked away from him, biting her lip, thinking to herself. She wanted to tell him how much she cared about him, to get it off her chest. Every time she looked at him, it felt like there was a demon inside of her, clawing at her insides, making her heart race, her palms sweat, her breathing quicken, her mind go wild. She shook her head, snapping herself out of it. "Well, you're safe with me", Loki said softly to her, gently easing her down onto the floor before standing up. "Can I ask you something?", Rebecca asked, looking up at him, raising herself up to sitting. "Of course. What is it?". She thought for a bit, thinking back, before continuing. "Back in Stuttgart, in the van, you changed your clothes. How? Because that was … that wasn't normal. How did you do it?" He smiled at her. "It was magic". "Magic? Like real magic?". "Yes, magic". She looked puzzled back at him; he has got to be joking she thought. "But how? That's impossible", she said to him. Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. "No it's not. It's such a mortal thing to say. I show you something incredible, and yet you question it still." He folded his arms, raising an eyebrow, looking down at her. "Yes because that wasn't real", Rebecca said defensively. "You had those other clothes on underneath yours, and the light was dark …".

Sighing aloud and rolling his eyes again, Loki raised his hand out in front of him, emitting a green glow from his fingertips. Rebecca's hands immediately flew out in front of her from behind, somehow managing to untie themselves in the process. Her mouth dropped opened in shock, her eyes flicking from Loki to her wrists. She looked closer at the golden material he'd used to bind them, as now it was a pair of metallic golden cuffs with strange symbols around her wrists, glowing in the same golden/green light. She tried to put them down, but they stayed fixed in the air, which caused Loki to chuckle in amusement at her effort. Loki then flicked his hand, and Rebecca's wrists immediately slammed together, the metal fusing to each other right in front of her eyes. Rebecca sat there, speechless in shock. She looked back up at Loki, who stood there smiling smugly. She tried moving her wrists, fighting her new bonds, but they held firm; it was the same softness as the material and didn't hurt her like metal would of if she fought it. Loki bent down to her, placing his hand under her chin, and gently closed her mouth "See, magic". He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "So what does that make you then, a magician?", she asked giggling, still slightly in shock. "What is that?", he asked puzzled, causing Rebecca to giggle again. "No I'm a God". "Then if you have all this power, why are you using it for evil? Surely you're strong enough with your magic to fight against whatever it is that's controlling you?", she asked concerned, searching his face for some answer. "I can't", he whispered, turning away. "Yes, yes you can!", she said reassuringly, touching his chin and slowly turning his face back to her, looking him deep in the eyes. "You can fight it. I believe you." He looked at her, and gently kissed her on her forehead. "Thank you", he whispered softly.

The jet started to make its descent, causing Loki to suddenly look slightly worried. "You still trust me?", he asked, quickly standing up and glancing in the direction of the cargo doors. "Yes, completely", Rebecca said, looking at him equally concerned. He nodded, looking back at her. "Good. Then I'm sorry about this". He swiftly put his hand onto her head, and she felt an instant coldness fill her entire body. She tried to control herself, to stand up, to speak, but she collapsed over onto the floor. She tried to ask him what was happening, but she couldn't make a sound, nor move a muscle; he'd frozen her. The jet landed and the cargo doors opened, the bright sunlight spilling into the dim room. Loki bent down and carefully scooped up Rebecca into his arms, her lifeless body hanging limp, her breathing shallow, her eyes frozen and still. He swiftly descended down the ramp, before immediately climbing into the back of a nearby jeep, taking extra care of Rebecca, holding her closer to his chest as he sat down, the door closing behind him. "Try to control your breathing. It will be over soon", he whispered into her ear, placing his hand over her eyes, gently closing them

Relying purely on her senses, Rebecca tried to control her breathing, panicking as she still tried to fight whatever spell Loki had put her under. His words had helped calm her slightly, but now she was even more nervous, as now she couldn't see what was going on. She could sense Loki was nervous too, as the vehicle they'd just gotten into set off, his heart rate increased, pounding faster in his chest. She didn't know how long they had been driving for, but they came to a sudden stop, and the door was opened. She could hear the noise of the city, the loud commotion of traffic, car horns blaring, sirens echoing in the distance, as Loki cradled her closer to him as he climbed out. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her, which was soon replaced by the coolness of a buildings interior. The distinct noise of an elevator ping came close to her ear, and she heard the doors shut behind them, before feeling it ascend upwards. She could feel Loki's heartbeat skyrocketing as he held her closer, hearing his breathing quicken. The elevator pinged and the doors opened. She felt Loki carry her forwards, hearing him order someone to head up to the roof. She felt him lay her down onto something soft, his cold hand gently touching her forehead, before her body exploded in fire.

Rebecca screamed as the heat coursed through her veins, jolting herself upright, her eyes flying open. Loki immediately grabbed hold of her, his arms on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to hurt", he said, his velvety voice cracked and scared, his green eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright now?", he asked, gently stroking her hair out of her eyes. She blinked, taking a couple of deep breaths, feeling herself cool inside. "Yeah, I'm fine now", she said weakly, shaking her head to wake herself up. She glanced around, noticing she was lying on top of a sofa in the middle of a very large, luscious apartment, with massive windows looking out over the whole of New York. "Where are we?", she asked Loki, looking around. "We are in Stark Tower". She looked back at him, her jaw dropping again in shock. Loki chuckled, and gently closed her mouth again. "Yes, the real thing that you have probably heard about on the news. I'm borrowing his reactor for a while. Now, stay here and don't wander off", he said softly, looking sternly at her. She nodded, looking back at Loki. She noticed that he was looking rather pale, and a thin bead of sweat was trickling down his head; he must be very nervous, she thought. He stood up and headed over towards the elevator doors over in the corner, before proceeding to open a smaller service door next to it. He glanced back at her, probably to check she wasn't following him, before heading up the small staircase behind it, closing the door behind him.

She couldn't believe it. She was in Stark Tower, in Tony Stark's actually room! She got up and looked around, taking it all in. It was massive, with decorated concrete walls, the massive overlooking floor length windows, a large mini bar and an outside terrace. Seeing a door leading outside, she headed towards it. She pushed the door open with her hand, noticing that the metal bracelets had un-fused themselves at some point. Loki must have done it when she had been frozen. She was grateful, as the second she stepped outside, the wind threatened to blow her dress up. Holding it down, she walked out along the balcony, looking out over New York. She reached the end, and turned around to look back up towards the roof. She could see the scientists on the top of the building, fixing the glowing blue Tesseract into some kind of machine. She knew Loki would be up there with them, so turned back to look out across the city. It was such a beautiful view, the skyline filled with the towers and office blocks; a city of glass and metal. She glanced over the edge, pushing her billowing hair out of her eyes. The sea of cars and yellow taxi cabs was endless, occasionally moving a few feet in the traffic. People moved about, carrying on with their everyday lives, completely oblivious to the world around them, and what was happening hundreds of feet above them. She couldn't help but say wow to herself; she'd always wanted to visit the big city, and here she was.

"I thought you would be out here". She jumped, startled by the sudden voice snapping her out of her thoughts. There was Loki, leaning against the glass doorway, watching her, his golden sceptre glowing in his hand, looking smug. "Yes, I was just taking in the view", she said to him, turning back around to look at the landscape. He walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry", he said softly to her. "It's ok", she said, smiling at him reassuringly. She sighed, looking back out across the city. "It's beautiful, isn't it?". "If you would call it that. I see no beauty there. It is nothing compared to the views back in Asgard …". He tailed off, his voice dying into silence, staring out into the distance. Rebecca looked up at him, seeing his face tinted with sadness and pain. "Asgard? That's where your from right? Not from Earth?". Loki remained silent, still staring off into the distance, lost. "Loki, let me help you. Whatever is happening, whatever you have to do, you don't have to suffer and do it alone. Please let me help you". "No, you can't", his voice barely a whisper. "I don't want to see you or anyone else getting hurt", she pleaded with him, putting her hand on his cheek. He turned to look at her, both fear and sadness in his eyes. "I have no choice. If I don't let them take this planet, then they will come for me, and I will have to pay the price. They'll come for me". She shook her head, putting her hands onto his shoulders, pulling herself closer to him. "No, there must be another way".

Loki opened his mouth as if to reply, but froze, his eyes fixed on the horizon, looking back out in the distance of the city. Rebecca turned too, looking out over the skyline, following his gaze. A tiny speck of metal like a small aircraft was flying low, heading straight for them. "Wait, is that-", she started to say; Loki quickly grabbed Rebecca's hand and ran, pulling her back inside the apartment. "Loki, wait. They can help", she tried to plead to him as he pulled her along, frantically looking around the apartment, tossing his sceptre aside. He spotted a concealed door in the concrete wall, hidden next to what looked like a long mirror, and rushed to it, Rebecca following behind. He opened it, to reveal an office, with the mirror acting as a tinted secret window on the other side. He rushed inside and closed the door behind them, before turning back to look at Rebecca, looking her in the face, his eyes wild. "No. They will kill you if they get the chance. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to loose you", he whispered to her, running his fingers through her hair. "I killed one of them. Its revenge they want now. There is no reasoning with them. It's too late to turn back now. But whatever happens, I will return for you". "Loki", was all she could manage to say, her fingers brushing against his, before intertwining, staring deep into his eyes. He leaned in closer to her, their noses almost touching. "I'm sorry", he whispered gently, his velvety voice sending her heart racing. Before she could even blink, his hand was on her cheek, his cold lips against hers, in a gentle kiss. She didn't flinch under his cold touch, her lips kissing his parted cold ones; she found herself drifting off into an ecstasy. Without even realising it herself, she had placed her hands behind his head, her fingers gripping onto him. She pulled him closer, their bodies touching; their kiss growing into a fire. She didn't resist, letting his hands slip down lower, his long fingers following the contours of her spine. After what seemed like an eternity of sharing each others touch, Loki pulled away from her, their eyes locked onto each other, his hand coming up and gently stroked along her bottom lip. "Thank you", he whispered softly, his green eyes looking more alive than ever. "For what?", she asked, her eyes staring dreamily into his. "For giving me your courage". And with that, he slowly let go of her, Rebecca untangled her arms from around him. He turned and walked back towards the door, and stopped, glancing back, seeing Rebecca attempting to follow him, and reach out to him. He snapped his fingers, and her wrists immediately snapped together in front of her; a golden chain shooting out from them, connecting to the wall behind her. She looked down at the chains, and back to him. He smiled smugly, before turning, closing the door behind him, as Rebecca screamed his name.

Rebecca screamed after Loki, trying to get him to come back. She watched him lock the door before walking back over to the sofa, picking up his sceptre that he'd left lying there, and then crossed the apartment and headed outside onto the balcony. She desperately tried to pull against the chains, hoping they would break free of the wall and let her reach the door. They held firm, so she tried hitting against the glass window, but that didn't do anything; it was too strong to break. There wasn't anything in the small office room that she could use either; everything was either bolted down to the floor to stop her moving it, or it was out of her reach. All she could do was watch, trapped behind the window. She watched as Loki re-emerged back into the apartment, with another gentlemen entering in from the other side. They seemed to be having some kind of argument; Rebecca couldn't tell as the room was soundproofed. She looked closer at the other man challenging Loki, helping himself to a drink from the mini bar. She gasped aloud; it was Tony Stark, the real Iron Man. Again she tried banging on the window and shouting to them, but they didn't notice her. She could only watch in horror as Loki grabbed him, throwing him across the room and out of the window. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. She was watching a monster. Not the god who had just kissed her, but a savage monster. Somehow Iron Man had gotten his suit on, and fired a blast at Loki, knocking him clean off his feet, sending him flying across the room, closer to where she was hidden. She tried banging on the window again to get his attention, but he simply got up, clenched his jaw and stormed off back outside onto the balcony, and out of view.

She collapsed down onto the floor, tired and exhausted, overwhelmed in emotion. She didn't know what to think; all the different emotions inside of her made her feel sick. She didn't know what to believe, whether what he'd said had been true, or whether he had lied to her. She didn't want to believe he was a monster. Her brain was pounding with the effort of thinking in the silence of the room; with only the soundtrack of her breathing and the chains rattling keeping her company. It therefore took her by complete surprise when a massive crack suddenly appeared in the wall next to the window; causing her to scream aloud in surprise. She quickly stood back up and looked out, and gasped at the sight in front of her. Loki was picking himself up off the floor, right in front of where she was hidden, in the presence of a massive green monster. She stood frozen in shock; it was the Hulk. She didn't even have time to blink before the Hulk had grabbed Loki by the foot, and was slamming him into the ground, tossing him like a rag doll. Watching in horror, the Hulk threw him down onto the ground one final time, leaving him in a mini crater hole before stomping off, back towards the smashed window he'd jumped through. "Puny God", she heard him crack as he stormed off, and out of sight. She gasped, as she noticed the window was slightly cracked too, as well as the wall, meaning she could be heard. "Loki!", she screamed, banging on the glass. He didn't move. Her heart racing, she screamed even louder, pounding on the glass with all of her strength. "Loki! Loki!". Then she heard it; a little groan. She let out a huge sigh of relief, thankful that he wasn't dead.

A red haired woman, dressed in black and armed with a gun, quickly running through the apartment caught Rebecca's attention, stopping her from shouting out to Loki again. She watched her leave out through the glass doors outside onto the balcony, only to run back through seconds later carrying Loki's sceptre in her hand, its blue tip glowing violently. She watched her run back the way she came, up the staircase next to the lift. She didn't know who the woman was, but she knew that they hadn't spotted Loki out cold on the floor; otherwise they probably would have shot him. She waiting until she knew the woman had gone before trying to call out to him again. "Loki!", she shouted at him again, but he didn't respond. She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the cool glass, feeling her eyes brim with tears. She wanted to touch Loki again, to hear his voice, to stare into his beautiful green eyes one more time. She didn't want to have to sit here helpless and watch him get killed.

"Rebecca". She froze, catching her breath in her throat. It was Loki's voice. She quickly glanced up, looking over to where he lay. He was still lying there, not moving, his eyes closed. She shook her head, trying to make sense. She didn't just imagine his voice inside her head, did she? She couldn't have done, it felt too real. "Rebecca", his soft voice whispered into her ear, his breath blowing down her neck, causing her hair to stand on end. She quickly spun around to face him, completely surprised at how he could be in two placed at once. His finger rested on her lips, hushing her. "Please don't speak too loudly. They can hear you". She nodded, looking up at him, his face cut and bruised and his clothes dirty and ripped, the metal of his armour scratched. "I've failed. I'm sorry but I can't save you from them", he whispered weakly, his green eyes looking into hers. "From the Avengers?", she asked quietly. Loki nodded, indicating back out towards the window. Rebecca turned to look, to see Loki still lying on the floor, out cold. Then, one by one, the team of Avengers assembled around him, all pointing their weapons down at him. She quickly spun back around to face him, her eyes filled with tears. "They're going to kill you!", she exclaimed in alarm. Loki smiled, a weak smile, gently stroking the falling tears off her face. "No they won't. My brother won't allow that to happen. He will insist that I am sent back home to face the wrath of Odin and Asgardian justice", he said quietly to her. Rebecca looked down at the floor, not wanting Loki to see how much the news was upsetting her. And then she saw it. Just poking out of the lip of her shoe, was his ring. She quickly bent down, pulling it out, holding it in the palm of her hand. "Your ring", she said stunned. "I… I completely forgot that I'd put it in there. Here", she said quickly, offering it to Loki. He looked down at his ring, and then shook his head, looking back at her. "No. Keep it safe", he whispered to her, closing his hands around hers. "Keep it to remember me". She looked up into his eyes, his hurt eyes, and slowly nodded. "Thank you", she whispered weakly to him, a fresh tear running down her cheek. Loki reached out his cold hand, placing in onto her cheek, comforting her, before his body's outline glowed in a magical green light, and he vanished.

Turning around, she watched him regain consciousness on the other side of the window, awakening surrounded by the team of the Avengers. Glaring at them all, she watched him surrender, holding his hands up in defeat. Two of them, Thor and the Hulk, grabbed hold of him roughly by the arms and pulled him away. As he passed by the window where Rebecca stood watching, he winked at her cheekily, flashing his trademark grin. She couldn't help but smile, and feel comforted by it, given the predicament he was in. She watched him disappear into the lift with Thor, tightening his grip on him; the Hulk opting to take the stairs instead. As the lift doors slid closed, the chains holding her prisoner glowed golden, before disappearing before her very eyes. She blinked, pulling her arms apart looking down at her wrists. The golden bracelets still stayed on her wrists, their markings continuing to glow, making her realise she was still holding the ring in her hand. She quickly bent down and shoved it back insider her trainer, which cued the glowing to stop. She breathed a brief sigh of relief, glad that she was free and that the ring was still safe with her. "Just look at this place! Remind me never to let Banner anywhere near my private suite again". She froze. That was Tony Stark's voice. Rebecca quickly span back around, glancing out of the window in the direction of the voice. Tony Stark was busy walking around his apartment, inspecting all of the damage, whilst the woman with red hair stood there, rolling her eyes at him. "Well, what did you expect Tony, he obviously didn't like the design", she said smugly. "Natasha", another voice said, stepping into view. Rebecca's mouth dropped in shock; it was Barton. "Well, it looks like your going to have a lot of work to do Stark", another voice said, quite close by. Rebecca strained to try and see who it was, but they were hidden just out of her view. "You think? And I only just had it redecorated as well. Unbelievable", Stark moaned, walking around in his suit. "Well, at least you office looks pretty intact", the other guys voice said, suddenly quite close by. Without warning, the door to the office where Rebecca was hid opened, revealing a well build, strong looking man with beautiful blue eyes in a brightly coloured tight fitting uniform. Their eyes locked, both as shocked as the other. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He took a step further into the room, and she panicked, forgetting how to breath, her brain struggling to comprehend everything that was happening. Her vision started to fade as she became lightheaded, unable to keep her balance, she became to sway. The man lunged forward and caught her as she fell, before shouting for help. The last thing she remembered was looking into this man's blue eyes as many more faces swarmed in around her, before she passed out.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

* * *

The golden ring glowed in front of her, and no matter how hard she tried to run to it, it kept getting further away, disappearing into the darkness that surrounded her. She tried desperately to reach out and grab it, frantically chasing it. A mans voice screamed her name, as she felt herself being pulled backwards into the dark, just as a haunting white skull-like face came into view in front of her. Its emotionless expression scared her as it approached, its darkened body moving swifter than she could take in. A bonelike fist. The ash-like ground. A sharpened blade. His petrified scream. The taste of blood. A golden flash. Then her scream. Her heart breaks. Her breathing stops. The sky begins to fall, the burning darkness consuming her. She screams her last breath.

Rebecca jolted awake screaming; her breath coming in painful gasps, her eyes wild. Frantically, she looked around, her eyes struggling to adjust to the bright lights. Breathing deeply, trying to calm down, she took in the details of the white room. She had been laid down on a plain metal bed, with a steel metal table and two metal chairs over on one side of the room. There room was windowless, with only a solid metal door as the only break between the white walls. Starting to panic, she tried to get up and run to the door, but cried out in pain as her leg was pulled from underneath her, and she collapsed onto the floor. She looked down at her leg, and noticed her foot had been chained to the corner of the bed. She tried to prise it open with her bare hands, but the metal cuts her hand, causing it to bleed. She notices that it has been put on the same leg which has the ring in her shoe, and that she can't take her shoe off to check if it is there as the cuff is closed to tight around the top of it. She felt through the canvas material, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was still there and safe. "Hello?", she shouted loudly, hoping someone could hear her. "Hello?". Still no reply. Starting to feel desperate, she tried to prise off the cuff again, but it caused her hand to hurt even more, spilling more blood onto the floor and herself. A loud bang suddenly startled her, causing her to look in the direction of the noise. She looked at the door, and watched the handle move down, as the door opened.

Two gentlemen walked into the room, and immediately their eyes fell down onto her. One of them, Rebecca immediately recognised, as it was Barton. She instantly climbed up off the floor and pressed herself against the wall, as she was still afraid of him, even if he didn't seem to be under that mind spell anymore. He gave her a stern look, before stepping aside to let the other man enter. He wore a long black leather trench coat, and had an eye patch over one eye. "Please, sit", he said, motioning her to one of the chairs as he himself stepped forward at sat down at the table. Hawkeye moved over and closed the door shut behind him, before leaning against it, acting like a barrier. After looking from one to the other, she hesitantly sat down in the chair. "Your probably wondering where you are my dear.", the man said, trying to sound reassuring. Rebecca's eyes kept flicking between both of them, her breathing coming in sharp intakes, twisting her hands under the table nervously. "I'm Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. We found you at Stark tower in quite a state. Care to tell us how you got there?". Rebecca gulped; she didn't know what to say. Loki had said that he couldn't protect her from them. Did that mean that they would try to kill her if they found out she had been involved with him?

"What's your name?", he asked softly, but firmly. "Rebecca", she mumbled, wishing she could disappear away from them. "Well, Rebecca. We have one of two options here. Either you tell us why you were there, or we try a more direct approach". As Fury was saying this Hawkeye took the opportunity to walk around so he stood behind her, causing her breathing to intensify. "I believe you two know each other already. So this can be like a family reunion." As if on cue, Hawkeye placed his hands firmly down on her shoulders, causing Rebecca to let out a slight yelp in alarm. She tried to get up out of her seat, away from him, but he pushed her back down, planting her firmly on the spot. "Now, I'll ask you again. Why were you there?", Fury asked more firmly, leaning in closer to her. She couldn't help but stare, petrified at his single eye, as it unnerved her. "I don't know", she whispered, struggling to stay calm, feeling her body start to shake. Barton pressed down a little harder onto her shoulders, causing her breathing to intensify. "I'll ask you again, and think very carefully about what you say. Why were you there?". "I told you, I don't know what I was doing there. I was just there", she said panicking. Fury's gaze didn't waver, staying fixed on her. "Fine. Well, I'm afraid your going to be here a while then", he concluded, standing up from his chair, walking towards the door. Hawkeye released his grip on her, and also followed, closing the door firmly behind him.

Rebecca burst into tears, her body shaking in fear and shock. She didn't know what to do or say anymore. In a burst of frustration, she stood up and tried to flip over the furniture in the room, only to find it bolted down. She screamed in anger, and kicked and clawed at the walls, hoping in some way that they would fall down, and let her escape from this hellish place. In her blind rage, she had caused the wound on her hand to open more, leaving streaks of dirt and blood on the white walls, adding to her nightmare. She sank down into a corner, curling up, letting her tears and blood fall down from her body. She didn't want to be here; she was terrified. She wanted Loki to be here with her, comforting her. His cold touch and velvety voice calming her, helping ease her pain away. She stopped herself; her mind racing. She was obviously in a SHIELD base somewhere, and the Avengers are obviously nearby, as otherwise Barton wouldn't have been here. Which means that if the Avengers are here, then so is Loki! She tried to calm herself down, realising that is she was ever going to get to Loki, she needed to escape.

She frantically looked around the room, trying to find anything that would help her escape. In her rage, she had managed to split one of the metal slats on the bed, so it had a sharp point. She looked down at her already cut hand, and back up and the blood stained walls, a plan forming in her head. Breathing slowly, she placed her arm next to the freshly ripped metal, feeling its sharpness already dig into her flesh. Taking a deep breath, and hoping her plan would work, she closed her eyes, and in one swift movement, sliced her arm on the metal. The blood flowed immediately from the cut, causing her to scream out in pain, falling to the floor. She cried out for help as loud as her voice would allow. Immediately, the door was unlocked and someone rushed in with medic supplies in their hands. They quickly knelt down next to her as she kept her eyes scrunched up in pain, holding out her arm to them. They swiftly started bandaging up the wound, their full attention on their task, and not on Rebecca. She opened her eyes, and in a moment, brought her other hand up, grabbed hold of the back of their head, and slammed it down onto the metal bed frame. They slummed down onto the floor, knocked out cold. She speedily rummaged through their pockets until she found a key, which she put into her leg cuff. Unlocking herself, she placed it around the other person's leg, before locking it on them. She hastily tied up the half done bandage on her arm before racing out of the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Finding herself in a corridor, she set off running as fast as she could in the direction she thought would lead her to Loki. No matter which way she ran, all of the corridors looked the same, and none of them had helpful signs on to tell her which way to go. She stopped at a crossroad, panting, sweat pouring from her. She had no idea which way to go, clutching at her arm in pain. An alarm blasted through the air in the direction she had just come; along with the shouts and orders of soldiers. Realising she was now in very serious danger, she set off running again down one of the corridors. Every step she ran caused her great pain, and she felt herself becoming light headed. She didn't want to stop, her breath coming in sharp painful gasps; she wanted to find Loki. Suddenly, the path in front of her became blocked by soldiers, running in her direction. She immediately turned down another corridor, hearing them behind her, gaining distance. She took a sharp turn down another corridor in an effort to loose them, and felt like she was going to collapse at any second, hearing the storming of their boots ringing in her ears. Her vision was blurring, her arm heavily bleeding, her breath shortening, her hope fading.

A hand quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into a storage room just off the corridor. She collapsed onto the floor of the room and tried to get back up as the person slammed the door shut behind her. They immediately grabbed hold of her and pushed her back down onto the ground, putting a finger to her lips, telling her to stay quiet. She couldn't make out who it was, but she nodded her head with what little strength she had left. She listened as the soldiers ran straight past the door outside in the corridor, and continued on unaware, thinking she had continued on. The person who had been on top of her stood up, and headed back over to the door, locking it, before turning on the light switch. The woman with red hair she had seen in the apartment was stood there, looking down at her, a sorry look in her eyes. "I'm sorry. Hope I didn't hurt you", she said quietly, coming over to her. Rebecca tried to get back up, but sank back down to the ground as her head started to spin. "That was quite a risk you took back there", she said, nodding towards Rebecca's arm. "Yeah, it was all I could think of", she panted, trying to get her breath back from the effort of trying to stand. "I'm Natasha, by the way. You're Rebecca, aren't you? You gave us all quite the scare back at the tower", she said, dropping down to sit next to her. "We though that you had died of shock at seeing poor Steve". "No, I just panicked I guess", Rebecca said weakly, looking down at her arm. Natasha glanced down at her arm, before looking back at her. "You know that we don't want to hurt you, right?", she said reassuringly. "We just want to know the truth, that's all. Fury just has an awkward way of going about it. Not everyone agrees with his methods, especially as you're so young." Rebecca gave a weak smile, looking up at Natasha. "I'm older than I look. I'm eighteen next month".

Natasha looked at her, and then shifted her position so she was closer to her. "May I?", she asked, indicating to her arm. Rebecca nodded, and slowly offered her arm out to her. She winced as Natasha carefully untied the bandages, inspecting her wound. "You know what you did was pretty dangerous right? How did you know that someone would come to help you at all?", she asked, carefully retying her bandages to stop it bleeding further. "I didn't", she replied weakly, her voice giving away just how scared she was. They sat in silence for a few minutes, whilst Natasha fixed up her wound as best she could. "What did he do to you?", she asked gently once she had finished, placing her hand onto her shoulder, encouraging her to talk. Rebecca thought carefully, the sound of the distant alarm filling the silence. "He lied to me", she finally spoke, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I know. He's good at that kind of thing", she said as Rebecca collapsed into her shoulder, her body heaving in emotion. "I trusted him", she whispered, finally overcome with the reality of what she had just done. "I gave him my mind. I gave him my heart. I gave him everything", Rebecca cried between sobs, clutching at her head, emptying out her heart. Natasha sat there holding her, before saying quietly into her earpiece, "This is agent Romanoff. Stand down. She doesn't know anything. Take her home".

The next few hours passed by like a blur to Rebecca, as her mind fought over her emotions. Her wounds were patched up and she was taken care of, given new clothes, and Romanoff never left her side. Even when Fury was apologising to her for the inconvenience he had caused, she didn't take it in; her mind was too preoccupied on something else, or someone else. It wasn't until she was in the back of the car being driven through New York that she realised that she was free. She looked out of the window as people carried on their everyday lives; Rebecca envied them, as she knew hers had changed forever. She looked down at her wrists, the golden bracelets still sat there, reminding her. She had lied. She had never thought she could have done it, but she did. She betrayed herself by lying. She had lied to them, so she could be free. A small smile crept across her face, realising that now she was free. She giggled to herself, a sly giggle. She never thought that it would have worked, but it did. She even managed to fool the great Black Widow too! She sighed, slumping back in her seat, looking out of the window, placing her hand into her pocket, feeling the coolness of the ring against her skin. And then she gasped, immediately sitting bolt upright, shoving the ring back deep into her pocket, her eyes fixed on a particular colour. A red cape. Not even telling the driver to stop, she flung open the door and jumped out of the car. Luckily, the car was only crawling along, so she was able to start running immediately, heading straight towards Central Park, her driver oblivious to her departure.

Weaving through the mass of people, she fought her way along the path towards the Park, fighting through the crowds that had gathered as SHIELD agents began to seal off the area. She managed to duck into the hedges just in time, as a fresh herd of agents arrived, pushing the crowd further back, leaving her inside the perimeter. Rushing from cover to cover, Rebecca edged closer to the centre of the park, her eyes fixed on the wearing of the red cape at all times. She managed to get pretty close now, so she could see what was happening. She recognised Thor immediately, as his size and attire didn't let him blend in so well as all of the other Avengers that had now gathered. She watched intently, as a van pulled up alongside them, and the doors were opened. Rebecca gasped in shock. It was Loki, as their prisoner, chained and gagged, being escorted by Thor towards the rest of them. Not even caring that she would get into serious trouble for being near, she ran out towards him.

"Loki!" she shouted, running towards him. His eyes snapped towards her, a look of both relief and concern crossing them upon seeing her. SHIELD agents immediately grabbed her to stop her getting any closer. "I'm sorry miss, you can't be here". "No, you don't understand, I have to see him. Please", she tried to plead to them, but they held her arms tight, making sure she couldn't get any closer. "Loki!", she tried calling to him, but he had already been pulled along by Thor, as they now stood opposite each other, clutching the Tesseract between them. She looked at Loki, and felt tears running down her cheek. She didn't want him to leave her here, not here alone and forgotten. Suddenly the blinding light of the Tesseract engulfed both Loki and Thor, before firing them up into the sky, disappearing in an instant. She didn't take her eyes off the sky where Loki had vanished as the agents released their hold of her as the Avengers ahead of her went their separate ways. She walked forward, and stood in the exact spot Loki had disappeared from, staring up at the sky, her heart caught in her throat. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry", she whispered to the sky, hoping he could hear her. "I love you", she whispered, bringing the ring out of her pocket, twisting it around in her fingers. "Miss, we need to take you home now", an agent interrupted, breaking her thoughts. She turned to him and nodded, following him, glancing back, whispering "Goodbye".

The drive back to her home had taken forever. She had curled up on the back seat for the journey, sleeping. Her parents broke down into tears when she was escorted into her home, throwing their arms around her, saying how they would never let her leave their sights ever again. Rebecca couldn't feel any emotion to them, but only smile a fake smile to please them, pretending that she was happy that she was back home. Her life returned back to normal; almost like what happened only a few days before had never taken place. Her parents were back to their normal selves, arguing with her again about her education, and now even her Uncle had started to question her ability to work, as she was more 'distracted' than usual. She felt horrible, so cold and empty, and alone. All the while, her mind was elsewhere, reliving the previous events that had changed her.

On the evening of her eighteenth birthday, her parents had decided to pop out for a few hours, leaving her home alone. She stood, in her bedroom, admiring herself in the mirror, in the lovely golden dress that she had had for a present, her brown hair hanging loose at her shoulders, her complexion pale. She hated herself, just as much as everyone else did. She looked down at her wrists, at the golden bracelets that still hung there. They had become a part of her, and she never made any attempt to take them off. She had never wanted too, as they were the only thing that kept her believing that the life she was living, day to day, in her small town, was a lie. She walked over to her bedside table, and pulled out a necklace, which had a small, golden ring hung on it. She took it off its chain, and held it up, looking at it. Somehow tonight, she felt drawn to it in a way she had never felt before. She wanted to wear it, for it to be hers, to claim it.

Walking over to the window, she looked up at the stars, lost in thought. Without realising it, she took the ring in her hand, and placed it onto her finger. The world around her darkened, but she didn't notice; as she was too busy looking at the stars. She blinked. The stars were not the same stars anymore, and nor was the large golden window frame of which she now looked out of. Gasping in surprise, she spun around to see her bedroom had gone. Instead, she stood in a much darker, grander bed chamber, with golden architecture everywhere. She gasped walking around the room, trying to take it all in the darkness. "Rebecca", a voice whispered. She froze in her tracks, her eyes transfixed on the silhouette of a figure sat near the bed, hidden in the shadows. The figure got up, the sound of chains accompanying its every move as it stepped slowly out into the light. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognised the imprisoned man in front of her. His green eyes sparkled, a sly grin on his pale face, he simply said to her, "Welcome to Asgard".

_To Be Continued …_

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**Authors Note : Thank you so much for reading! I do hope you like it. And don't worry. The story of Rebecca will continue in _"Far From Home",_ which I will begin writing soon. Again, thank you so much for reading. **

**Please comment and share. **

**Thank you.**


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